Greetings from the last man on Earth who prefers to read. I've sought videos when motion was what I needed to learn (running postures, kitchen knife skills, etc.), but I usually look for a transcript or move on.

I won't comment on the quality of the film content, as they are clearly not aimed at your core reader, but to attract a younger, less educated viewer. However, please film a block of dialogue in one continuous take rather than breaking it up into series of micro-intervals that seem like a epileptic parody of a bad YouTube video.

I also prefer to read. I didn't watch the videos because I don't have patience for them. I also don't watch videos on Memebase or embedded in Slashdot articles or on any of the other feeds I follow. I don't listen to "podcasts" either for the same reason. Text and static images are superior for all communication which is not specifically about sounds or the appearance of things in motion. For those I prefer the clip to be under 30 seconds.

Besides the efficiency, text also has the benefit of being searchable and indexed by search engines.

I know there are some people who absorb information more readily in audio or animated formats, but I am not one of them.

I can't really say that anything is "wrong" with the videos, but for the few I have watched, the editing and attempts at humour didn't really leave me with an impression of professionalism that I otherwise associate with Ars... again... they were not really bad in any specific way... just not sure I thought they fit with the site...

When I come to ars, I'm usually looking for well-written, pertinent information. As such, jokes about fighting off bears while wearing a suit of armor and riding away in a decoy tank somewhat detract from what I am trying to get out of the piece.

I have no problem with videos on ars, but I would like them a lot better if they had the same journalistic tone as normal text-based reviews.

My only "complaint" as such is this - I'm not sure if this is how your video player usually works, but I can't seem to pause the video and let it buffer ahead like on e.g. YouTube or Vimeo. My internet connection isn't the fastest around so if the videos were allowed to buffer (or hell, you could even add a download option I guess?) that would make things great!

(Interestingly, on my iPod I *can* pause and buffer the video using the iPod's video player that Safari kicks me to.)

As for the content of the videos, they have been great so far, about the right length and with good detail on the stuff you cover. A transcript would be nice though (or maybe subtitles on the video?)

I prefer written dialog - it's faster to consume and easier to re-read what I find the most important. None of the videos really need to be in video format - the script that's written should be sufficient.

I feel like Ask Ars is trying to be a foray into ArsTV, but the content you're covering is probably better done with text. Maybe if there's something that needs to be graphically demonstrated in motion, video would be the appropriate medium, but that's not the case for any of the articles so far. As long as it's on a web page, text plus images where appropriate is the best way to convey the material.

I've enjoyed the videos; the length is appropriate for the amount and level of content, and they're fun. A "further reading" list would be helpful (other tutorials on the web, good books on the subject, ars reviews etc). Perhaps you could expand them to other topics than just "Ask Ars...".

I liked most of all the keyboard video. Partly because I'm reassessing ergonomics in my office, so it's apropos. But the video was useful in illustrating the different key mechanisms and giving a sense of how soft or clacky they are. This article was about perfect for video. Text alone would have not have communicated it as easily. And still images would help, but still not convey the actual keyboard mechanisms nearly as well. And I see the original "article" summarized the keyboards mentioned, which is good.

As others have mentioned, for news, I only like video when its crucial. Text is easier to skim and decide whether to pay attention to or ignore. But a video requires a larger investment of attention, and it's hard to skim. For an example: the bit with the rat chasing the author is a fine and amusing idea, but it went on far too long. Edit, edit, edit. Cut what doesn't communicate anything. Cut what is only there as filler. Keep the crucial amount to make the point.

I won't criticize style per se -- anyone who's read Andy Ihnatko knows that a person can make a living writing tech with a very personal and quirky sense of humor -- but I do think it needs to be further refined, understood, and edited with increased skill.

I read when density and efficiency of knowledge is paramount, but I also watch video/listen to audio when I'm not in so much rush. Of all the videos/podcasts I keep up with, it's 50% because I'm learning something and 50% because I enjoy the presentation. I'm a big fan of Day[9] for Starcraft 2 stuff, Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcasts, and now Casey's videos. Could I learn faster via text? Yes. Would I be as entertained or feel like a real person was delivering this information? No.

Let the videos continue. All the relevant information is in text in the article anyway, and I find Casey's delivery hilarious (even if it took a bit to get used to the multiple-take style of video).

Others are asking for transcripts, and I've also asked for that in the past. Now, I think I've had it backwards. Write the articles, with the attention to detail that is always applied here at Ars Technica, and then shoot the highlights on video, and offer both in the same article context. In other words, the article becomes the script, rather than trying to produce transcripts from the video, after the fact. Sort of a compromise, but I think that if you did it right (???), either element (text or video) could also stand alone and be quite popular.

Edit: I almost didn't snap to that being Casey in the graphic. Nice touch.

What stone said. I like the vids, but most could be better done with text.

I wouldn't mind a Revision3 (Destructoid, Tekzilla, etc.) style webcast where a couple of Arsians talk about the going ons of the day/days/week/pick-your-interval.

It would be purely an optional watch as you'd be talking about what has already been on the site (plus mentioning some comments or updates since the post) so you could include any other humor or fluff you wanted.

Greetings from the last man on Earth who prefers to read. I've sought videos when motion was what I needed to learn (running postures, kitchen knife skills, etc.), but I usually look for a transcript or move on.

This.

I don't like the video articles, and have ceased watching them (after the 'novelty' of the first couple). However, short videos inline in articles where words don't (or can't) make it clear (e.g. how to insert components when building a computer, or showing what a game looks like in play) are great, same as you pictures.

Use the most appropriate medium for the job. Most of the time, that's text.

I like them. I think they are well put together and have no issues with sound or video quality. Casey is charming as host, but think about mixing it up. We all want to see that bearded monster Ben Kuchera homebrew his Wii or something. I would argue they could be less twee, but then they might mosey all the way to sardonic or boring, and that's not a good fit. Stick with this tone. It's playful and informative. Kind of Alton Brown-ish.

I could do with fewer head + shoulders shot vlogging content--we wants to see the techz0rz!

I also like the Further Reading concept.

Some topics I would like:

--> HOWTO Hackintosh--> Wireless speakers Do's & Don'ts. (Might just be "Don't" but I can dream.)-- >Ben's 802.11 setup. I can't for the life of me get my consoles/computers to all behave on WPA2 at the same time. Has he pulled this off?

Echoing some of the early posters... ENOUGH with videos that don't need video to get their point across.

I am interested in this content, but my work blocks -all- streaming media, which makes them a no-go unless I want to make a note to watch it at home, and I just don't get enough time to sit in front of the home PC and watch through something, so 95% of video stuff is instantly trashcanned, purely for it's choice of delivery.(It might be awesome... but I will never know.)

I -like- reading. I subscribe to sites like this to READ. Please allow me to keep doing so

I think the videos are a good idea and have the potential to make these tech subjects more interesting to a wider population. To wit -see how effective the CoolHunting.com videos are - they are such an important media component of that site.

Since Ars is in NYC - potential untapped and inexpensive source of young and hungry media/video/production/design people throughout the city who would jump at production of videos for a Conde Nast publication....

Greetings from the last man on Earth who prefers to read. I've sought videos when motion was what I needed to learn (running postures, kitchen knife skills, etc.), but I usually look for a transcript or move on.

This.

I don't like the video articles, and have ceased watching them (after the 'novelty' of the first couple). However, short videos inline in articles where words don't (or can't) make it clear (e.g. how to insert components when building a computer, or showing what a game looks like in play) are great, same as you pictures.

Use the most appropriate medium for the job. Most of the time, that's text.

This sums up my feelings exactly. I read Ars a lot while mutli-tasking at work so watching videos isn't always an option.

I have no interest in these videos. A well-written and structured article is far more valuable as a reference and much easier to consume at my own pace, and a video is painful to search through if you do want to revisit some piece of it later.

Greetings from the last man on Earth who prefers to read. I've sought videos when motion was what I needed to learn (running postures, kitchen knife skills, etc.), but I usually look for a transcript or move on.

baritz wrote:

When I come to ars, I'm usually looking for well-written, pertinent information. As such, jokes about fighting off bears while wearing a suit of armor and riding away in a decoy tank somewhat detract from what I am trying to get out of the piece.

EchtoGammut wrote:

However, please film a block of dialogue in one continuous take rather than breaking it up into series of micro-intervals that seem like a epileptic parody of a bad YouTube video.

These three comments sum up my feelings pretty well.

--Videos only when necessary to convey the information, and always with a transcript.--Less cheesy jokes, as it devalues the information. I can't stand the show Good Eats for this same reason. He has good information, but the delivery mechanism is a total turnoff for me.--Practice the delivery until you can convey an entire block of dialogue in one take

First major problem with video - many workplace block access to all forms of streaming media (yeah, I know, I should be working instead of looking at Ars). So video excludes a potentially quite large portion of your users. Nothing pisses me off more than when looking for details about some product at work, for work, and finding that most of the information on their website is in the form of YouTube videos. Videos can compliment written text, but it absolutely must not replace it.

Second, I prefer text because it's much easier to skim through to get a general impression of what it's about and whether or not I want to put time into reading it. I can also read it at my own pace and easily skip sections that don't interest me. I find this very difficult to do with video.

I think they make a great companion if you have the time/ability/interest, and as one reader already pointed out, the general body of the article serves as a usable (if not verbatim) transcript with plenty of text for those in need. They're also incredibly easy to scroll past if you're not interested, provided you have arrow keys, a mouse or mouse wheel, or even a touchpad or IBM laptop nub. Amazing technology.

I'd keep them coming - some of the humor was cute, some of it I didn't dig, but the gist of them were worthwhile IMO; maybe even broadening the Ars audience a bit. I watched most of them, squeezed at least a little extra knowledge out of all of them that I couldn't get without the visual, and also multitasked one or two of them in the background during work to absorb the audio.

The format doesn't bother me, as I can watch Flash well on all of my devices, but some variation might be good for those where Flash is unavailable or just too damn clunky.

Casey your vids are FTW. Don't listen to any moaning nerds complaining about the style. Ars is a very well respected site for the depth and clarity of its reporting. I think these videos nicely counterpoint that with a nice face.

If there is a point of quality it's just that sometimes the audios not too great... but I'm a sound engineer so that's probably just my own esoteric bug bears. For a simple fix you could try wacking a bit of a limiter on the mic for some volume without distortion when your rendering... though that may bring out more ambient noise. In that case you would do well by recording in a damper room and/or with a directional mic to limit that. Also careful with the sample rate (at least thats what I think I can hear) - periodically the trebs cut and make it slightly harder to hear.